My Spine - Cervical
Images used with permission from Medtronic
Figure 14.3
These drawings demonstrate the rest of the procedure of a laminoplasty. A
groove that extends through the whole of the thickness of the laminae, has
been performed on the one side and on the other side the laminae has also
been grooved, but not through the full thickness of the laminae. This allows
the laminae to be wedged open. The ligament that lies underneath the lami-
nae, between the laminae and the spinal cord, is called the ligamentum
flavum and this is removed by an instrument called a rongeur.
A probe is used to wedge the side on which the laminae has been grooved,
open. The whole idea is that this will then be kept open by small plates. This
is called an open door laminoplasty. Sometimes the groove is made through
the spinous process and the laminae is wedged open in the middle, and this is
called a French door laminoplasty.
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